Augmented, not artificial, intelligence should be government leaders’ priority

LPETTET/Getty Images

 

Connecting state and local government leaders

AI should be seen as a “co-pilot, not an autopilot,” said local officials at an event this week, adding that it could be crucial amidst a government workforce shortage.

More than half of local government IT executives expect artificial intelligence to bring dramatic change in the next three years according to a recent survey. But less dramatic and more immediate is AI’s potential to address local government workforce shortages.

The Public Technology Institute found that 58% of city and county lT executives expect dramatic change in how local governments operate and deliver services, with areas like cybersecurity management, data analysis and citizen engagement among the sectors expected to benefit most.

Less sexy and headline-grabbing is the role AI could play in, say, speeding up the process for assessing the litany of permits and licenses needed for buildings and development. 

In a bid to support the human in the planning department who gives applications the final approval, AI could be key in making the process more efficient and freeing up that employee’s time to focus on more meaningful work, according to experts at a conference this week near Washington, D.C., hosted by Accela, a state and local government software company.

Clark County, Nevada, Chief Information Officer Bob Leek said this means thinking of AI as more like “augmented intelligence,” rather than an artificial technology that will take over the world.

With around 900,000 vacant jobs in local government, AI could be critical in helping lessen the impact of those unfilled positions. 

“The aspiration would never be to replace staff,” said Nidia Logan-Robinson, deputy director at the Shelby County, Tennessee, Division of Planning and Development, during a panel discussion. “But how does this help supplement … a shortage of staff and turnover, the loss of experience with retirements. Or, how does it help us bridge that gap?”

In an interview between sessions, Leek acknowledged the “sense of fear and dread” that many people feel about AI coming to take their jobs. Leek said that as a leader he tries to acknowledge his employees’ concerns while also showing them how the technology can help. That could mean more quickly processing applications for assistance programs or finding patterns in data on juvenile justice to help caseworkers intervene earlier.

“When people react at a level of fear, you can't just tell them, ‘It's going to be better,’ we have to lead them down a path,” Leek said. “Metaphorically, I try to get on the same side of the table with them, acknowledge the fear around what might be coming, but redirect that energy in terms of what could be better.”

There is evidence that employees across sectors are intrigued by the promise of AI to help them work more efficiently. Microsoft’s annual Work Trend Index earlier this year found that 68% of employees said they do not have enough time during the workday for uninterrupted focus due to meetings, the need to send emails and other pressures. 

Slightly more—70%—said they would delegate as much work as possible to AI to lessen their workloads, with administrative tasks, planning their days, and summarizing meetings and action items among the most popular potential employee uses.

AI technology is already in use in most cities, and use cases are exposing the variety of ways it can assist human government workers.

One position that local governments are struggling to hire is police officer. In Hartford, Connecticut, the city has embraced AI to help law enforcement catch criminals who are on the run, including across jurisdictional borders. This is one way to aid officers on the job amid a shortage. Hartford CIO Charisse Snipes said that while residents were “skeptical,” seeing these effective uses has helped bring them around.

Another potential use that Leek is excited about is to “skip over implementing chatbots” and instead introduce the use of “digital humans” on the county website to allow for more intelligent interactions. Those digital humans would ingest all the information on the county’s website so that when someone asks it a question it can produce an answer from that website in a matter of minutes. 

It is more efficient than traditional chatbots, as those need to be trained on every question that could be asked, Leek said. AI could automate the task for a worker and free them up to focus on other crucial customer service needs.

Michael Mattmiller, U.S. government affairs industry team lead at Microsoft, suggested that an AI-powered chatbot could answer municipal employees’ questions about other departments and how they operate. That chatbot could then help break down silos that exist in city governments, and even make it easier to pursue cross-departmental initiatives, he said.

Mattmiller said during a breakout session on AI that the technology should only be viewed as a “co-pilot, not an autopilot.” And he noted that despite the hype, it has existed for many years and has already impacted our lives.

“This is not a far-out technology,” he said. “This is a technology that is here today.”

X
This website uses cookies to enhance user experience and to analyze performance and traffic on our website. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners. Learn More / Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Accept Cookies
X
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Do Not Sell My Personal Information

When you visit our website, we store cookies on your browser to collect information. The information collected might relate to you, your preferences or your device, and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to and to provide a more personalized web experience. However, you can choose not to allow certain types of cookies, which may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings according to your preference. You cannot opt-out of our First Party Strictly Necessary Cookies as they are deployed in order to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting the cookie banner and remembering your settings, to log into your account, to redirect you when you log out, etc.). For more information about the First and Third Party Cookies used please follow this link.

Allow All Cookies

Manage Consent Preferences

Strictly Necessary Cookies - Always Active

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data, Targeting & Social Media Cookies

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, you have the right to opt-out of the sale of your personal information to third parties. These cookies collect information for analytics and to personalize your experience with targeted ads. You may exercise your right to opt out of the sale of personal information by using this toggle switch. If you opt out we will not be able to offer you personalised ads and will not hand over your personal information to any third parties. Additionally, you may contact our legal department for further clarification about your rights as a California consumer by using this Exercise My Rights link

If you have enabled privacy controls on your browser (such as a plugin), we have to take that as a valid request to opt-out. Therefore we would not be able to track your activity through the web. This may affect our ability to personalize ads according to your preferences.

Targeting cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.

Social media cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have added to the site to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They are capable of tracking your browser across other sites and building up a profile of your interests. This may impact the content and messages you see on other websites you visit. If you do not allow these cookies you may not be able to use or see these sharing tools.

If you want to opt out of all of our lead reports and lists, please submit a privacy request at our Do Not Sell page.

Save Settings
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Cookie List

A cookie is a small piece of data (text file) that a website – when visited by a user – asks your browser to store on your device in order to remember information about you, such as your language preference or login information. Those cookies are set by us and called first-party cookies. We also use third-party cookies – which are cookies from a domain different than the domain of the website you are visiting – for our advertising and marketing efforts. More specifically, we use cookies and other tracking technologies for the following purposes:

Strictly Necessary Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Functional Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Performance Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Social Media Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Targeting Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.